John,
You know, Skynet- computers interpreting massive unstructured data and making decisions ;-)
It is already used to pick out possible terrorist/drug conversations from billions of phone calls. IMHO that sort of stuff is best handled by a distributed "device", which is why autospanning datasets makes so much sense.
"... They ne'er cared for us
yet: suffer us to famish, and their store-houses
crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to
support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act
established against the rich, and provide more
piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain
the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and
there's all the love they bear us."
-- Shakespeare: Coriolanus, Act 1, scene 1
